School Excuse Letter

I just found out that my son will have school on the day our cruise leaves. Originally this was an inservice day for teachers but there was a snow day this past Monday and the school decided to make 2/13 the make-up day.

I went online and googled excuse letters, but only came up with Disney World/Land excuse letters. Does anyone know where I can get one for just a Disney cruise? I searched this forum and came up empty.

Thanks in advance!

I just found out that my son will have school on the day our cruise leaves. Originally this was an inservice day for teachers but there was a snow day this past Monday and the school decided to make 2/13 the make-up day.

 

I went online and googled excuse letters, but only came up with Disney World/Land excuse letters. Does anyone know where I can get one for just a Disney cruise? I searched this forum and came up empty.

 

Thanks in advance!

I'm not really sure why you would need a form letter? Can't you just write your own letter explaining that he will be missing that day due to the cruise (stating that it was originally planned when that day was not a regular school day).

You could use whatever the form letter says for WDW/DL making changes to say Disney cruise.

A lot depends on your school policies. Some schools say any absence before a vacation day is unexcused without a doctor's note. Most are not that strict.

Can you be as vague as saying he has an "appointment" or "engagement" that was scheduled before the day was added and cannot be rescheduled? He does have an appointment--at the port! I'd be as indefinite as possible and not say that he's going on vacation unless they really try to box you in.

Guess I should warn you--I'm that parent who believes that I am responsible for my child, not the school or the government. Yes, my child needs to be educated, but missing one day is not going to be a big deal in her life. Honestly, the only reason the school cares is that their allotment of federal money is based on attendance. Note--my child is now a young adult and responsible for herself, but I really didn't let school interfere with life!

I would send a note saying you have scheduled a private family obligation that cannot be changed. I would mention that while you find education a huge priority in your home that your need for family time trumps the extra day of school this time. I would be clear you intend to have all assignments gathered before you leave and will be turned in on either your last day or immediately upon your return. Be open to discussions of taking tests or quizzes ahead of time. I think they appreciate family time as much as you and I. Reassurance that you will oversee the makeup work situation will help smooth things over assuming you have a student that generally has good attendance and good grades.

I'm trying to get a letter that describes how disney is educational and should be considered an educational equivalent to attending school. My son is trying to score another perfect attendance award which includes some kind of nonsense involving extra recess. An educational trip doesn't officially count as an absence. I can easily write a note saying he was sick or something. But there are form letters for disney out there, not for just the cruise. If not, I'll totally deal.

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Just be honest with the school!

We booked a cruise you changed dates when my son was not able to attend and therefore I made arrangements for him to be cared for, that also fitted in with a family vacation.

Trying to tell the teacher the educational value of a cruise is like telling them to suck eggs. They know they are going on vacation, you will probably spend 10 minutes a day explaining where you are geographically, what language they speak etc.

Just say we have many shore excursions planned to explore the local areas in each port of each country, explain to him about the different cultures, history and local wildlife.

A pre written letter will get seen through in a second if that teacher googles the words you say.

Be honest with them. I'm sure you wan't them to be honest with you.

ex techie

Oh, I see you have a dolphin excursion planned.

I would not mention that.

Interacting with captive mammals caught and exploited for the tourist's pleasure can be a a hot topic for a lot of people.

No educational value that YouTube cannot provide, and some see it as pure torture of them.

Probably won't help your case and may go against it.

HTH's!

ex techie

For my daughter, probably the most educational part of the cruise has been talking with various crew members about their home countries and their lives at home/family life, etc. On one cruise she asked each of the dining team to write something in her autograph book in their home language. They then either told her or wrote down what they had said in English. Back in school, when she had to do a report on a country she chose Croatia because that's where her favorite server was from. Learning a few words in their language was nice/fun, but not really educational; talking about their family life was. It connected with her that gas in one country is about $8 per gallon (she can read the signs in the US and see prices we pay). It meant something to hear that someone was on the ship because by doing so, he made enough money so that his wife could stay home with the kids. If he worked in his country, both parents would have to work and their lives still wouldn't be as nice as he could make it on the ship's money.

Seeing Caribbean islands....not terribly educational. For most kids, an island tour with discussion of history and such is time to zone out. However, on a stop in Mexico, seeing guards with AK-47s at the port and starving animals made an impact. I once pointed out to her geography teacher that seeing this meant far more to her than memorizing that the per capita income of Mexico was whatever. That means nothing to a kid. Seeing children dressed essentially in rags and animals with ribs sticking out--yeah, that says "This is a very poor country." And "We are very fortunate in the US!"

Don't know if this helps you to construct your letter....but it at least gives you some things to consider.

I'm trying to get a letter that describes how disney is educational and should be considered an educational equivalent to attending school. My son is trying to score another perfect attendance award which includes some kind of nonsense involving extra recess. An educational trip doesn't officially count as an absence. I can easily write a note saying he was sick or something. But there are form letters for disney out there, not for just the cruise. If not, I'll totally deal.

 

 

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I wouldn't hang too much on perfect attendance and focus more on your child meeting the requirements of the class. It is not up to the teacher to give you a step by step guide for teaching your kid the topics they missed while on vacation. If they miss a day, then realize that you may see a lower quiz/test grade the week before/after that trip simply because your kiddo missed the lesson. Sure you can help your kiddo learn the concept in time, but it isn't the teacher's responsibility to prepare some special pack of materials for your special snowflake so they can hunt seashells with Mickey Mouse. Accept that your child may be behind for a week or two and commit yourself to helping your kiddo catch up. It is not the teacher's responsibility to devise a special learning plan to suit your vaction plan. Think about it that an average teacher has 20 students and if each student picked a separate day that they were going on vacation that the teacher would be required to create 20 "special snowflake" learning packets.

Where do you think the time to create these special packets would come from? It would come from the time teaching the other students in the class on a weekly basis.

I'm trying to get a letter that describes how disney is educational and should be considered an educational equivalent to attending school.

I have to admit this made me laugh. Do you honestly believe that Disney is educational AND the educational equivalent to school? :D

I took all three of my sons out of school near the end of term last year for a trip to Disney and then a Disney cruise but totally acknowledged to their teachers that it was hedonistic frivolity with a few teachable moments thrown in.

OK, I basically agree with the sentiments expressed in the above post, but I do think it is a bit harsh.

This family is talking about missing ONE day and it was a day that was originally on the school calendar as a non-teaching day. OP never said that she was asking the teacher to prepare a work package or do anything extra to assist her child (nor did I ever!)

If kid misses a test/quiz, it is up to the teacher whether they can take it when they get back or take it in advance or accept a zero for that grade. It is NOT appropriate to ask the teacher to do extra work in order to facilitate a vacation!

I think this mother is talking about getting an administrative approval for this day to count as an educational day rather than an absence. Frankly, when I look at some of what counted as education during my daughter's school career...that's not totally unreasonable. But in reality, rewarding perfect attendance, especially by allowing extra recess time (time outside the classroom) is rather odd. It always struck me as "if you can't get rewarded for the best work in a subject, give points for being there." And I'm with OP, NO ONE should have perfect attendance for the long term. Can't believe that a student NEVER got sick and should have been home!

Why not just send a letter saying that your child will miss one day of school due to family travel and leave it at that? That's how I worded it for our Disney World vacation last October and this was for one week. No issues from the school.

Why not just send a letter saying that your child will miss one day of school due to family travel and leave it at that? That's how I worded it for our Disney World vacation last October and this was for one week. No issues from the school.

OP is trying to find a way to make the day count as "educational" to keep the kid's "perfect attendance" record intact.

Good morning,

I can't speak for how it is in other areas, just my own. I teach 6th grade. If this situation came up the parent would fill out a pre-approved absence form, I'd sign it, the principal would sign it, and that would be it. It would not be classed as an educational day (thus no perfect attendance) - the only time that applies in our district is if the trip is school/district sponsored. Personally I'd tell the parents to have a great time, give them the work (if there was some notice) or have the child make it up on their return.

I'd much rather parents be honest with me. I had a child come back from an absence the other day and tell me "My mom said to tell you I had an appointment". Since I had already heard it was a "family day" due to dad leaving for an extended work commitment I would much rather have been told that "my dad is going and we had dad time". As a matter of fact, the next child who was absent had a parent that did just that and it was perfectly fine.

We do stress attendance because so much of what we do these days is teacher-directed and the kids do miss a lot when they are absent. Obviously we don't want them there when they are sick and most of us will do anything and everything we can to catch a child up. I like to believe this is a two-way street, however, and the parents will put in a similar effort. Unfortunately that doesn't always happen.

Anyway, that's my two-cents worth.

Karen

I'm trying to get a letter that describes how disney is educational and should be considered an educational equivalent to attending school. My son is trying to score another perfect attendance award which includes some kind of nonsense involving extra recess. An educational trip doesn't officially count as an absence. I can easily write a note saying he was sick or something. But there are form letters for disney out there, not for just the cruise. If not, I'll totally deal.

 

 

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What is the perfect attendance award? From my experience they are highly overrated. Our high school each year had under the rules that if you went all 4 years with perfect attendance you'd get $50.

So I make it all 4 years with perfect attendance and they give me a $50 savings bond (worth $25 at the time).

So thanks for reminding me I should check the value of it to see if it is worth $50 yet.

Just write a note with the honest truth. If the school scheduled a school day that was not on the calendar when you made your travel plans, simply put in a request that the absence be considered "excused". You may even want to offer completing a special project to make up the day. Since you did try to stay witihn vacation periods, I would hope that the administration would agree.

Trying to convince the school that it is an educational trip is a pile of horse poop! As a former school administrator, nothing was more amusing than parents trying to pass off a trip to the tropics as something they planned to further little Johnny's education. I had no idea such letters for Disney even existed - I need to look them up out of sheer curiosity.

If it comes down to it, is a perfect attendance award worth giving up your vacation? (Not in my opinion.) Kudos to you for trying to do the right thing, and for giving your child such a sense of responsibility towards school attendance.

http://www.themouseforless.com/downloads/kids/SchoolExcuse/SE1.shtml

School Excuse Sample Letter

 

DATE:

 

TO: [school official]

 

FROM:

 

RE: [students name and vacation dates]

 

Please be advised that [student] will be out of school during the week of [date]. We ask that his absences be excused.

 

The reason for [student]'s absence is that our family will be out of the state during this week. While we are gone, we will be visiting Walt Disney World. We believe that [student] will be learning many things during this trip and that his education will continue in his absence from school.

 

Some things [student] will learn about:

 

* Different cultures of the world, including architecture, language, diet, and dress, by visiting the different countries in the Epcot World Showcase (Japan, China, Germany, Mexico, Norway, Canada, France, etc.) [student] will have the chance to explore the exhibits for each country and speak with natives from each country who work as cast members.

 

* American history by viewing the Hall of Presidents presentation in the Magic Kingdom and the American Adventure show in Epcot.

 

* Nature and conservation at Animal Kingdom.

 

* Science by exploring the Mission:Space ride in Epcot where he will have a chance to see and feel what it would be like to travel by rocket to Mars and by experiencing the Universe of Energy exhibit which teaches about fossil fuels, energy, and conservation.

 

* Economics by managing his own spending money and making budget decisions on how to spend his money.

 

[student] will also be learning about map reading by navigating in and to the different theme parks, as well as the resorts and water parks via the Disney bus system, sociological aspects of crowds including patterns and behavior, physics of the different rides, breakthroughs in technology at the Innoventions computer lab in Epcot, art and animation and the history of film, and mathematics.

 

We believe this will be a wonderful and educational experience for [student] and hope you agree not to charge him with unexcused absences as a result. If it is possible for [student] to take any assignments with him to be turned in when we return or to turn in before we leave any work that will be due while he is gone, please let us know as soon as possible.

 

Thank you for your attention to this. If you have any questions or need any further information, please feel free to contact me.

 

[Parent's Signture]

http://theclothspring.com/2012/09/disney-school-excuse-letter/

Dear

 

Our family has decided to take an informative and educational trip to Walt Disney World this year from [exact dates]. We would like you to consider excusing {name} absence on the basis that we will be on a learning adventure!

 

While we are on our edu-vacation we will learn about nature and conservation. Did you know that Animal Kingdom, the largest of the four Theme Parks, allows you to take a realistic African Safari? We will see giraffes, lions, ostriches, white rhinos, elephants and more. Much like a classroom trip to a zoo, we have the chance to see over 1,700 animals. After our safari we can experience and learn how Epcot grows it’s own amazing produce. Living with the Land is a boat ride that floats through several greenhouses and teaches you about several growing options, like ‘vertical growing’. We will see first hand how Disney is invested in conservation and reforestation. The Seas with Nemo and Friends allows kids to learn about marine biology through various displays along with periodic live demonstrations and feedings.

 

Along with our nature lessons we will also learn about many amazing cultures! We will stroll through Paris and wonder at the architecture; we will sample cuisine from Japan and China; we will speak with actual native cast members and learn about their culture. Through the World Showcase in Epcot we can experience the cultures and dress of many countries in one place!

 

Another aspect of our edu-vacation is our exploration of American history while in the Magic Kingdom. The Hall of Presidents and the American Adventure Show give us the option to enjoy recreations and events in American history. We will get to ‘meet’ Benjamin Franklin, Mark Twain, Frederick Douglas, Thomas Jefferson, Susan B. Anthony, Alexander Graham Bell, John F. Kennedy, Teddy Roosevelt and Martin Luther King Jr. We will be witnesses to some of the most important events in American history from the writing of the declaration of Independence to World War II.

 

Science will also play a huge roll in our trip. Epcot is filled with wonderous science lessons. Mission Space offers the opportunity to travel to Mars by rocket! Universe of Energy teaches about energy, conservation and fossil fuels. Innoventions East and Innoventions West is filled with scientific exploration opportunities. The Sum of All Thrills allows guests to create rides like a bob sled, roller coaster or jet airplane using actual physics limitations such as gravity and g-force. And best of all, after they design their own ride they get to experience it! What an amazing opportunity! Kids can also interact with displays that focus on fire safety, recycling, saving money, weather and the environment in Innoventions.

 

Finally, we will work on Cartography as we read maps while in the parks to further our studies.

 

I think you will find that this edu-vacation is an excellent way for us to take a vacation while still furthering our educational goals. Our time there will be fun AND educational! Of course any homework we will complete while there and have returned when we get back.

If only this was a joke and not one of those letters they do have online..... edu-vacation. Really? :rolleyes:

ex techie

Just tell the school he will not attend that day due to your pre planned vacation .

Family time together for a vacation is far more important than 1 school day .

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Oh Ex Techie, Thank you!

Once I got done laughing - (I really thought these were a joke), I was saddened when I realized that some people actually think some of these experiences are more educational than reading a book, or seeing a video of the real thing. Or better yet, visiting the real thing - authentic not fabricated.

Facades of pretend European Villages, Mission to Space, A Realistic African Safari ... sigh!

I will be first to admit there are valuable learning experiences in the parks, most importantly, family togetherness.

But call it what it is - a VACATION, planned by adults for fun! Nothing wrong with it al all.We've taken our own kids and granchildren out of school for fun. If they learned something along the way - great.

I could write such a letter about a trip to the supermarket or a walk in a local park. Kids are little sponges and they are constantly learning and taking in everything around them - for better or for worse! That doesn't mean that we should place such activities on par with formal schooling - that is where you get the worst stories of 'unschooling' failures!

Personally, I think it's also important to teach your children that there are timrs

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sippican,

No worries!

I can only imagine the staff room at a school when these letters get sent in.

They most likely have a top 10 wall of excuses!

Just call a spade a spade and be honest!

ex techie

Tell the school what happened [ie you book they changed date school ends] and that if it effects your son's attendance record you'll sue them for the cost of the cruise as they changed the dates.:D

I could write such a letter about a trip to the supermarket or a walk in a local park. Kids are little sponges and they are constantly learning and taking in everything around them - for better or for worse! That doesn't mean that we should place such activities on par with formal schooling - that is where you get the worst stories of 'unschooling' failures!

Personally, I think it's also important to teach your children that there are times when its okay to 'fail' - my younger two kids missed a couple of weeks of school in December due to our trip but we decided that the family time together was more important than attending the final two weeks of the school year (one week of which was the school camp) and since we host homestay students most of the year we only had a very narrow window of opportunity to take this trip.

To the OP, I agree with several responses that say just be honest. It sounds like that if I am understanding correctly, this was a built in snow make up day. In my county if they have to use this day as a make up for inclement weather they won't excuse anything unless sick because it clearly states it has the potential for being used as a regular school day.

I am a firm believer that school is extremely important but also think life is too short and we should soak up the fun and family time when we can. We are headed on our first DC in a few weeks. I have already prepared my son's teachers and they will be giving me their assignments. Both teachers said they appreciated my honesty and had no problem giving us the work.

Tell your child that while you understand how important the perfect attendance was to him, unfortunately due to mother nature it won't happen this year. Use this trip as a way to celebrate all his accomplishments in school, including how great his attendance is. It is trivial to us as adults but so important to our kids :) enjoy you trip!

To the OP, I agree with several responses that say just be honest. It sounds like that if I am understanding correctly, this was a built in snow make up day. In my county if they have to use this day as a make up for inclement weather they won't excuse anything unless sick because it clearly states it has the potential for being used as a regular school day.

 

I am a firm believer that school is extremely important but also think life is too short and we should soak up the fun and family time when we can. We are headed on our first DC in a few weeks. I have already prepared my son's teachers and they will be giving me their assignments. Both teachers said they appreciated my honesty and had no problem giving us the work.

 

Tell your child that while you understand how important the perfect attendance was to him, unfortunately due to mother nature it won't happen this year. Use this trip as a way to celebrate all his accomplishments in school, including how great his attendance is. It is trivial to us as adults but so important to our kids :) enjoy you trip!

Also why honesty is the best policy.

The kids will blab and brag as to where they have been. Completely understandable, given their age.

And then if horribly you need a day when Gammy, Grandpa or another family member passes, does the teacher believe you?

ex techie